Chương 97: It Was Self-Defense...

The sixth stage cultivator began to push his essence into my own meridian. It was a common technique to establish dominance over another disciple. Too bad for him it wasn't having the effect that he wanted since my cultivation base was steadier than anyone would expect. A small smile appeared on my face as I turned around to face him. The registration area had gone quiet, everyone watching to see how this would play out.

"I'm only going to say it once," I said quietly to the disciple who was at least half a head taller than me.

"Get your hand off me." Seeing my reaction, the disciple's eyes widened in surprise. He probably thought he'd done enough to intimidate a junior, but realising that I wasn't fazed, his face turned beet red in embarrassment. The two behind him, sensing the tension in the air, adjusted their stance slightly as they positioned themselves in an attack formation.

"Listen here, you arrogant little first-year," he growled, his fingers digging deeper into my shoulder.

"I am Feng Zhao, and I've been in this sect for five years. I've earned my place here. Who do you think you are, walking in here like you own the place?" Back on Earth, I hated bullies, and that didn't change just because I was in a cultivation world. I knew better than to try to argue reason with them, so instead of replying, I looked him in the eye. This only seemed to make him angrier.

"You looking down at me? You think reaching the fifth stage makes you special?" Feng Zhao's eyes narrowed.

"I bet you just got lucky with some stolen technique or family backing. Real cultivators earn their power through years of—" The end of his sentence was lost as his other hand lashed out in a straight qi-enhanced punch aimed at my face. For a sixth stage cultivator, it was a decent attempt; his form was passable, and he'd concealed his movement well enough that most disciples at my level probably wouldn't have seen it coming. It was the definition of a sucker punch. Unfortunately for him, I was his opponent.

With a thought, I channeled the power of the two suns. As the energy rushed through my body, time began to slow, and I was able to see his fist inch closer in what felt like slow motion.

"Master," Azure murmured, "I believe this is what humans call 'showing off'."

"He's attacking me, I'm just defending myself." Even as I mentally justified myself to Azure, I activated the Blink Step rune tattooed on my thigh. The world blurred as I vanished from before the disciple, reappearing at his left side where he was least balanced. His eyes were still trained on where I'd been standing a second ago, his expression just beginning to register confusion. I capitalised on that moment. My hand shot forward in a Phantom Strike as the Titan's Crest blazed to life along my palm.

The combined attack landed and sent him flying across the registration hall like he'd been thrown by an angry stone guardian. His body crashed into one of the ornate stone pillars with a sickening crack, sending spiderweb fractures racing through the carved surface. He slumped to the ground, his fancy robes torn and dirtied, a thin trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His spiritual energy fluctuated wildly, clearly disrupted by the force of the blow. The hall erupted in shocked whispers.

I caught fragments of conversations:"Did you see that…"

"He just disappeared!"

"That's some kind of movement technique…"

"He's a first year?!"

"Damn, he has to be lying about…"

"A dark horse?" Looking at their leader on the floor, the other two stepped forward, but I could see the uncertainty in their eyes. Their qi fluctuated erratically, betraying their inner turmoil. Their leader had tried to sucker punch me and had been taken down in a single strike. They clearly understood that I wasn't a normal first-year.

"Enough." The voice wasn't particularly loud, but the power behind it made everyone freeze. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I turned to see who it was. It was one of the inner disciples that had been manning the registration tables, he had stood up. The spiritual pressure rolling off of him was greater than anything a Qi Condensation cultivator was capable of possessing. This was an Elemental Realm cultivator!

The bodies of the outer disciples around me locked up from the sheer weight of the aura. The seventh stage disciples didn't lock up completely. I could see Chen Feng grimacing as he fought against the pressure, sweat glistening on his forehead. His famous shadow walking technique wouldn't save him here. It wasn't an attack he could avoid, but rather a fundamental clash of cultivation bases.

Ming Yue, the other seventh stage, seemed to be holding firm with difficulty, though her knuckles hung white as she gripped the edge of a table. Her teammates weren't faring as well. The poison expert was sickly pale, while the sound specialist looked close to screaming, mouth working without him being able to produce any sound. Even Earth Fist Liu, who stood like a mountain, faltered slightly under the assault.

His teammates dropped to their knees, visibly struggling with their qi in an attempt to resist the pressure. Yuan Zhen, the eighth stage, seemed less affected by the display, only arching his brows slightly out of intrigue. His teammates, the two seventh stage disciples, also managed to stand firm through what appeared to be sheer proximity to their leader's powerful spiritual essence.

As for me, well, I felt the pressure trying to lock my body in place, but it seemed as if the full force of both suns combined with the Genesis Seed created some sort of buffer zone for me. Like being underwater but able to breathe, it was uncomfortable, but not earth-shattering. The inner disciple's eyes widened when he realized I wasn't frozen like the others; his stern expression melted into an approving yet predatory smile.

"Well, well," he said, letting his aura dissipate. The other disciples gasped as they were released from its grip. Some of them stumbled as they tried to regain their composure.

"It seems it's only a matter of time before you join us in the inner sect, brother." At his words, dozens of calculating gazes roamed over me, some envious, some curious, and some even hostile.

"Did you hear that?"

"…an inner disciple acknowledged him…"

"…must have serious backing…"

"You think it's another Song Xiang situation?"

"What dogshit luck I have that another hidden genius is competing this year?!" The inner disciple ignored the comments, his smile vanished as he turned to the one who had foolishly attacked me. The disciple was currently being dragged to his feet by his teammates. Blood still dripped from his mouth and his spiritual essence flickered as if he was about to suffer qi deviation at any moment.

"You'll be making a trip to the Disciplinary Hall," the inner disciple said flatly.

"What?" the disciple gaped as he wiped blood from his chin with a quaking hand. His expensive robes were ruined, torn and stained with both blood and dirt.

"But I'm the one who got hurt! He—""Defended himself effectively," the inner disciple cut him off with a laugh.

"You attacked a tiger in sheep's clothing. Did you really expect a first-year who reached the fifth stage to be normal?" With a wave of his hand, he called forth two more inner disciples. They took hold of the protesting disciple's arms and began to drag him out of here. The inner disciple looked at the teammates and gestured for them to go with their leader to the Disciplinary Hall.

"But senior brother," one of the attacker's teammates took a step ahead, his voice catching slightly.

"We didn't do anything, we were just—""Just what?" the inner disciple snapped.

"Just trying to bully someone weaker than yourself? Prove your supposed superiority?" He shook his head in disgust.

"Such behavior reflects on the entire sect. A few days in the Disciplinary Hall should teach you about proper etiquette." The faces of the disciples paled. They were not looking forward to what came next. The legend of the Disciplinary Hall was known to everyone.

"The fun is over," the inner disciple announced, clapping his hands together.

"If you have yet to register, do so quickly. If you have, leave. Now." The disciples didn't linger; the hall began to quickly empty out. I noticed a lot of them shooting me glances, probably wondering if they should approach me, or stay as far away as possible from me. Honestly, I'd rather they leave me alone, unlike protagonists in cultivation novels, I had no interest in having a posse. As I turned to leave, I felt someone watching me.

The gaze felt different to the others, this one wasn't calculating or envious, this one seemed hungry? I followed the feeling to see Wu Kangming standing in the shadows, half of his face covered in darkness, eyes locked onto me with an unreadable expression. The golden light in his eyes pulsed slightly, and I could have sworn I saw a spectral sword hovering behind him.

"Well, that's not creepy at all," I muttered under my breath as I picked up my pace towards the exit. Wu Kangming could watch from the shadows as much as he liked, I just hoped it wouldn't escalate to anything more than that.

"Master," Azure's voice echoed in my mind as I walked through the now-empty corridors.

"Why did you use both suns' power? Wasn't that rather... conspicuous?"

"As much as I hate making enemies, I was sneak attacked and needed to defend myself. Without their power, I wasn't confident I could take him down cleanly and quickly."

"But won't that draw unnecessary attention?"

"I'd draw attention in the tournament anyway since my goal is to catch an elder's eye and become their disciple. Yeah, I was worried about the consequences before, but look at Wu Kangming, he's far more impressive than I am and nothing seemed to have happened to him since he returned."

"You make a good point," Azure agreed after several moments of consideration.

"This isn't like outside the sect. Here, potential will be nurtured. Outside, well, we both know what happens to interesting specimens in the wider world." I shivered, recalling what had happened to Li Yuan.

"Still," Azure continued, "we should be careful about—""Disciple Ke Yin." The voice made me freeze mid-step. It came from behind me, and it wasn't one I recognized, but something about its tone, a sort of amused authority, made me think I was either in very big trouble or about to receive an interesting opportunity. Knowing my luck, probably both.